St. Vincent and the Grenadines

The oldest botanical gardens in the western hemisphere, the St Vincent Botanic Gardens are lovingly tended and provide an oasis of calm that’s only half a mile north from the frenzy of Kingstown. — Lonely Planet

an exquisite, 2½-mile-long (4-km-long) crescent of powdery white sand shaded by perfectly spaced palms, sea grape trees, and flowering bushes. — Fodor's

Simply divine. — Lonely Planet

In the far northeast of the island, Orton "Brother" King, a retired skin-diving fisherman, tends to more than 200 endangered hawksbill turtles until they can be released back into the sea. — Fodor's

This spectacular horseshoe-shaped, mile-long (1½-km-long), protected beach on Bequia's mid-southern coast can be reached by land taxi or by boat. — Fodor's

The desolate but lovely golden-sand beach at Chatham Bay offers good swimming. Amenities: none. Best for: solitiude; swimming. — Fodor's

Its old barracks and batteries are now government buildings and local educational facilities, but you can drive around and look at the remains of redoubts, a guardroom, stables, and cells. — Fodor's

Just off the main road beyond the small fishing village of Layou. — Fodor's